Display and dispensing box



Nov. 29, 1938. R K. wmG-LEY 2,138,589

DISPLAY AND DISPENSING BOX Filed March 26, 1937 $252 m MW Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES 2,138,589 msrmy AND msrnnsmc ox Philip K. Wrigley, Chicago, 111., assignor to Wm.

Wrigley Jr. Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application March 26,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in. boxes, containers or cartons for displaying and dispensing articles of uniform size such as packages of chewing gum or the like, and has for its principal object to provide a novel arrangement of box body and its contents, including a visual reproduction of the enclosed articles, applied along the upper margins of the box, all designed to produce an especially inviting and attractive 1 sales appeal to the prospective customer.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which the embodiment therein illustrated consists of a packaged chewing gum dispensing box. In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the box filled with packages of gum as may be displayed on a store counter.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the box and contents shown in Fig. 1, with a part of the box wall broken away to show the arrangement of gum packages therein.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, the box body indicated generally at ill has a front wall H, side walls 12 and a bottom wall l3. The box is relatively shallow, in the form shown being of such inside depth as to accommodate two layers of gum packages l4, l4, so that when the box is full the top layer of packages projects approximately one-half way above the top edge ll of the front wall H and the top edges l2 of the side walls. The box also has a rear wall l5 having an upwardly projecting flap I5 arranged to carry suitable advertising matter (not shown). This flap l5 may either be integral with the box or a separate piece, as desired.

Along the upper exterior margin of the front wall I l I provide a visual reproduction l6 printed or otherwise applied, in natural colors, simulating with substantial fidelity the front faces of a full layer of gum packages as the latter are normally disposed in the box. In the form shown in the drawing, this visual reproduction I6 represents in full elevation the sides of two guml packages If, I! including their wrappers, advertising matter and individual sticks of gum projecting-from the ends of said wrappers. Similarly, along the upper 5 margin of the side walls 12 are provided visual reproductions [8 of the ends of the packages it.

The visual reproductions l6 andl8. are also preferably extended over the top edge I l and l2 of the box to simulate the upper corners of the 55 packages, thus carrying forward the desired 1937, Serial No. 133,145 (CL 206-44) illusion by concealing said top edges which would otherwise be exposed.

With the visual reproductions l6 and I8 arranged as above described, the front and side walls of the box appear to extend upwardly only to the horizontal lines l6 and [B at the bottom of said visual reproductions, with the result that the packages of gum contained in the box seem to be much more readily accessible to a prospective customer than is actually the case. This effect of ready accessibility is further increased by the fact that the actual packages in the top layer project substantially above the edges of the box, as previously described, thereby giving the impression that said packages are elevated to a height greater than the actual dimensions. The entire visual effect thus produced may be termed pyramiding, which includes the appearance of ready accessibility, increased height, comparative looseness I and ample supply of the gum packages. The pyramiding effect is even more evident after some of the packages have been removed from the box. As a result, this novel arrangement of box and contents is an appreciable factor in stimulating impulse sales, that is, sales to persons who had not contemplated a purchase beforehand.

While I am aware that it is not broadly new to reproduce the contents of a container along or around its sides so as to give the container the appearance of transparency, yet I believe that it is novel in a relatively flat container for articles such as those disclosed herein, to provide, around the'upper edge of the container, a faithful, lifelike reproduction in color, of the normally exposed edges of a' layer of the articles contained therein, but with said reproductions offset substantially below-the level of the top layer of such articles, so that the actual articles project above the edge of the box as above described.

This novel arrangement is particularly adapted for relatively shallow display boxes such as herein illustrated, where the box I0 contains only two layers of gum packages. In this case, of course, the reproductions I6 and 18 on the exterior walls show only one full layer of packages, because the effective vertical height of the upright box walls is insufiicient to permit two full layers to be shown thereon.

It will be understood that substantially the same effect will be produced if the box [0 is provided with a raised or false bottom in place of the bottom layer of packages shown in Fig. 2, and yet retaining the arrangement above described, wherein the exposed top layer of packages projects substantially one-half way above the edges of the box.

Where the box is designed to hold more than two layers, the walls of the box may be provided with a reproduction of either one or more full layers, as desired. But in any case, the effective vertical height of the box will be insufilcient to permit reproduction of the full number of layers contained in the box.

From the above description, it will now be understood that both -the effect of added visual attractiveness, and that of actual accessibility to the partially exposed upper layer of packages, are here combined in my improved form of box, cooperating in the direct stimulation of "impulse sales.

Although I have illustrated and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I not not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a dispensing box having bottom, front and side walls open at the top for display and dispensing of the contents thereof, a plurailty of similar dispensable articles arranged in horizontal layers within said box, the inside depth of said box being such that a substantial portion of the top layer projects above the top edges of said front and side walls, and

a sasae said front and side walls having, along their upper margins, visual reproductions simulating the front and side edges, respectively, of a full layer of articles contained in said box.

2. In combination with a dipsensing box having bottom, front and side walls open at the top for display and dispensing of the contents thereof, a plurality of similar dispensable articles arranged in horizontal layers within said box, said front and sidewalls having, along their upper margins, visual reproductions simulating the front and side edges, respectively, of a full layer of articles contained in said box, and the inside depth of said box to its bottom wall being such that approximately one-half of the top layer of articles pro- .iecltls above the top edges of said front and side wa s.

3. In combination with a dispensing box having bottom, front and side walls open at the top for display and dispensing of the contents thereof, a plurality of similar dispensable articles arranged in two horizontal layers of substantial height within said box, said front and side walls having, along their upper margins, visual reproductions simulating the front and side edges, respectively, of a full layer of articles contained in said box, the inside depth of said box being such so that the top edges of said front and side walls extend to an intermediate portion of the top layer of articles contained in said box whereby said visual reproductions are off-set vertically with respect to the layers of articles in said box.

PHILIP K. WRIGLEY. 

